Abstract
INTRODUCTION
Beginning with the successful completion of the global positioning system
(GPS) in the mid-1990s, other new technologies for determining the
geographical coordinates of moving or fixed objects have been deployed or
developed. This report refers to them collectively as mobile location
technologies.
Mobile location technologies are able to locate points, objects or persons on
or above the earth' s surface by calculating the distances from one or more
(usually at least three) reference points. These can be satellites orbiting in
space, ground radio stations, cell phone towers, wireless LAN access points,
or RFID receivers.
Each type of technology has its advantages and limitations, depending on the
specific application. While they are, to some extent, competitive with one
another, each technology has applications for which it is especially well
suited. Additional mobile location technologies are being developed, many of
them involving a combination of two or more existing positioning technologies.
SCOPE OF STUDY
This report contains:
- Descriptions of various mobile location technologies and current and
potential applications for each
- The current market status of mobile location technologies and trends, with
forecasts of growth over the next 5 years
- Technological issues, including the latest developments
- An examination of the structure and competitive conditions in the global
mobile location technology market
- A discussion of demographic, legal/regulatory and other factors that will
drive the future market for mobile location technologies
METHODOLOGY AND INFORMATION SOURCES
This report is an update of an earlier report published in 2005. The findings
and conclusions of this update and the original report are based on
information gathered from industry sources, including mobile location
equipment vendors, service providers, and end users. Interview data were
combined with information gathered through an extensive review of secondary
sources such as trade publications, trade associations, company literature,
and online databases to produce the projections contained in this report.
The base year for analysis and projection is 2006. With 2006 as a baseline,
market projections were developed for 2007 to 2012. These projections are
based on a combination of a consensus among the primary contacts combined with
our understanding of the key market drivers and their impact from a historical
and analytical perspective.
The methodologies and assumptions used to develop the market projections in
this report are discussed at length under the various types of mobile location
technology addressed. The report carefully documents data sources and
assumptions. This way, readers can see how the market estimates were developed
and, if they, so desire, test the impact on the final numbers of changing
assumptions.
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